2017 was the year of cryptocurrency awareness. People now realise how its underpinning technology, the blockchain, will change the world. ICO’s shattered traditional methods of raising capital. Companies were raising record amounts via tokens and made huge promises to the world.

Inevitably, the cryptocurrency markets imploded under the weight of speculation and expectation in 2018. Most people failed to realise that the foundation was still being built. There was a lack of regulation, understanding and scalable technology.

Yet, just like the dot-com crash and the internet, cryptocurrency and blockchain are not going anywhere. 2018 has been a period of consolidation. Winners will rise out of the ashes and disrupt the world on a more profound level than the internet.

Goldman Sachs has criticised cryptocurrency in the past. But actions speak louder than words. In August, they helped lead a $32 million series B round for Axoni, an enterprise-focused blockchain startup. In September, they led a $25 million funding round for Veem, a payment service that is applying blockchain technology to disrupt the traditional model of how money is transferred.

Nasdaq, the world’s second-largest stock exchange, confirmed its plans to launch Bitcoin futures in the first half of 2019.

This news sends a clear message of legitimacy to the world: cryptocurrency is here to stay.

Phillip Nunn CEO, Wealth Chain Capital

“The biggest wealth creation in history is on the horizon and will create the world’s first trillionaires. Traditional finance is about to be replaced with something that reflects our digital world.”

During the internet’s early days and the dot-com era, web-based companies were only tied to the U.S. Cryptocurrency has had a global reach from Day 1.

The internet is young compared to our ancient financial systems. Putting one on top of the over doesn’t make any sense. It’s time to build a completely digitised technology that flows in complete unison with the internet. This is exactly what cryptocurrency and blockchain will achieve.

The internet was not a bubble. It has evolved in layers. First came accessibility. Then came broadband. The next step was to give people access on the move. We have fast and reliable mobile phones to thank for that. Our most recent layer was social media. It connected everyone all over the world with Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

We are about to witness the internet of value. This layer will allow people to securely and anonymously trade data and money on the internet freely. It’s a huge technological leap — the age of internet money is coming and there is nothing anybody can do to stop it.